Rose's Return
by Sierrascifi
Summary: The 12th Doctor (degenerated back into the 10th) and Rose Tyler are reunited after 5 years. In this version there was never a copy of the 10th Doctor that stayed with Rose. This is my first fanfic so please give me advice, ideas, and tell me if you like it. I'll try to update with new chapters as often as I can in my busy schedule. I apologize for any errors.
1. Chapter 1 - Back Again

**Chapter 1 - Back Again**

The woman returning from a late shift at work whirled around in the small parking lot at the base of her apartment building looking for the source of the sound that had been haunting her dreams, the best and the worst, ever since the day she first heard it. Rose pulled her coat tighter around her, the cold winter air whipping through her long blonde hair. Still looking around, straining her ears to pinpoint the origin of the keys being dragged along piano strings.

What she heard was familiar, and instantly her mind cycled through every memory she had of that marvelous box, and the man that came with it. She longed to run towards that gorgeous blue color, but had no destination. The next 5 seconds seemed to be the longest of her life as she waited, prayed, that she would see what she hoped for; what she'd been waiting for for over five years with no way of knowing if the day would ever come.

There it was, finally. The place that she would always call home no matter where, or when, she ended up. It just stood there, unmoving.

* * *

The grin could not be kept off his face as he ran, half stumbling, around the central console of the TARDIS, pressing buttons and pulling levers. He listened to the beautiful whizzing sound that always rung in his ears; the sound that was so familiar to him.

The Gallifrayan thought about all the time that had passed for him. He thought of the countless adventures he'd had since last seeing his favorite companion. From there he thought about the many people he'd met, and gotten to know, during that time. Listing them in his mind he thought: Martha, Donna, Jack, Amy, Rory, River, Clara, and many more. Their time with him had all ended different ways, but Rose leaving had been the hardest. Neither of them had had any choice in the matter, and many words had gone unsaid. The Time Lord had finally figured out how to manage getting into Rose's parallel universe, without causing both universes to collapse, after thinking about the problem constantly over the past years.

The Doctor raced to the doors that would lead him outside before stopping abruptly. He stood there for a moment, just staring. He was, for the first time in a long while, scared. Had she changed? Would she even be there to greet him, or would she want him gone? Was she even alive? He couldn't let his thoughts get to him. He straightened his tie, smoothed his brown suit, and stepped outside.

* * *

The Doctor stood there with a blank expression on his face. Rose looked back. A couple seconds past like this before they both grinned in unison and ran the short distance between them into a long awaited embrace.

The tall man pulled back first but kept his hands on Rose's shoulders. He examined her up and down with approval. "You haven't changed one bit, Miss Tyler."

Rose grinned. "Neither have you I'm happy to see. No regeneration."

The Doctor's expression deepened into more of a conversation mode, but he kept his smile. He didn't expect that to go away anytime soon. "Well actually there has been some change. Not too long after you left I regenerated into a form I was quite fond of; still not ginger however. That lasted, oh... 5-6 years? Then after the Battle of Chanley I had to regenerate again. I quite liked my 10th form so I figured why give it up? I then..."

"Doctor!" Rose cut in. "Slow."

The Doctor trailed off a bit. "I'm stopping! Basically, I'm clever and I degenerated."

"Well you're still you. That's what matters."

"I'm still me." The Time Lord smiled at his, no longer, lost friend.

She seized his hand suddenly and ran, dragging him towards the stairs that led to her apartment. He didn't question a thing. He assumed she lived alone now, given her mother had Rose's father and a son, while Mickey was back in his original universe. He wondered if Rose had a boyfriend currently.

Their feet rapidly clunked up the steps. The reached the 3rd floor and walked past 3 doors on their right before stopping at the same, familiar, apartment that Rose had lived in in their own universe. Of course, it wasn't the same one, but it was clear that she was trying to make it as much like as home as possible. That gave him hope that she would want to leave with him. That however led to another thought. Maybe this was home now. What if Rose didn't want to go back to her first universe with him?She had money here, her family, a job at UNIT, friends, a life. Could he take that from her? He pushed his fears aside and followed Rose into the living room that looked astonishingly similar to her original, with lots of bright colors. They settled on the couch.

"So, Miss Tyler, tell me everything! How are your mother and father? You have a brother! Your life is good, yeah?" The Doctor guessed her reply before it came. Her life was probably great by anyone else's standards, but she had spent time in the TARDIS. There's know way of going back to a normal life after that.

"I'm doing great Doctor! Everyone is doing well and things at UNIT couldn't be better. I've whipped them into shape. They're a much better crowd now."

He was glad to hear she was happy, but somehow, the fact that she was so happy with her life stung more that what he'd been expecting. That meant she might not want to leave.

She sensed his disappointment and quickly added, "of course it's nothing compared to a life traveling the universe and beyond with you, my dear Doctor."

"Well... that leads to my inevitable question. I would be honored if you came with me, like old times. I understand that you have a life here, but I can now bring you back at anytime and nobody would ever need to know you left." He looked at her beautiful face, hopefully, getting lost in her eyes.

"Oh no, Doctor!" His expression sunk. She quickly redeemed herself. "I mean, there's no way we're going anywhere without saying goodbye to my mother. You know what happens when we do that and don't get back in time for dinner."

The Gallifrayan grinned again, ecstatic that Rose would be coming with him, but then he froze, thinking about having to face Rose's mother. He liked her father well enough, but her mother was always handful. She was also not bound to be happy after she's seen the kind of goodbye he and Rose had had last time. There were three word that desperately needed to be said, and Jackie Tyler knew it.


	2. Chapter 2 - Jackie

_Some people have asked to hear more about the degeneration of the 11th Doctor. I wasn't able to get to it in this chapter, but I've planned out how to incorporate it into the next. I apologize for any errors. I wanted to get this chapter in fast so I could get started on the next. I hope you enjoy and please review! _

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**Chapter 2 - Jackie**

Rose stepped into the TARDIS for the first time in 5 years, her heart pounding through her shirt. She stood just right inside the door, looked around, and she smiled with a sigh of relief. She was home.

The Doctor realized she wasn't behind him once he'd reached the central console. He turned to her and said, in slight flirtatious tone, "Coming Miss Tyler? All of space and time is at our fingertips!"

"Not too fast, love. My mother first."

The Doctor couldn't help but linger on the word "love" in his mind, but he quickly moved on. "I'd hoped you'd forgotten," he mumbled. However, after a quick look at his blonde companion, he gave in and pushed some buttons and pulled some levers sending them on their way. The Doctor and Rose's mom never really got along. However, he couldn't blame her; he had taken her daughter away multiple times. He also hadn't always brought her back in good time. The screeching sound faded in and out before stopping completely.

"I'm trusting you, Doctor. This better be my mom's home," Rose warned. She knew he would be happy to see her mother, even if he wouldn't admit it. They may not get along as well as they could, but they both cared for and respected each other. She leaped up from her spot on the rail and walked towards the double doors. "You coming?"

The tall man smirked at her, but followed. "I will follow you anywhere, Rose. Even into the dragons den."

Rose giggled and turned only her head back to him. "It won't be that bad. I promise." Her face grew just a little red as The Doctor swooped up and grabbed her hand.

"Well I'm not letting go. What if the dragon attacks?" he asked, pressing himself against her. They were still now, Rose looking up into his eyes as he looked down into hers. Their expressions faded into complete focus. Rose was lost, with no way out. All it took was his gaze to hold her there. All three of their hearts beat faster as they both anticipated what was about to happen. "Well we should go!" the Doctor exclaimed, suddenly, his head snapping up. "We don't want to keep your mother waiting." Still holding her hand, he pulled her out the doors. Rose stayed in a daze a little longer, tripping as she was dragged, but quickly recovered.

The companions entered the large house that was really more of a mansion. "Jackie Tyler! Miss Smartipantsness! Guess who's back," called a voice that Jackie had mixed feelings about.

"Doctor!" Rose smacked his arm. "You need her to like you. No her equals no me as far as she's concerned."

"Is she right?" the Doctor questioned, without a hint of worry in his voice.

"Well no, but that's not the point!"

The Doctor smiled. "I'll do my best not to get into any trouble for the time being."

Rose smiled back. "Thank you," she whispered as her mother entered. "Hey, Mom!" Rose didn't move forward to greet her mother like she typically did. She instead stayed back, waiting for a reaction to the man on her arm.

"Well he does have great hair. I'll give him that."

Rose grinned. The tension was lifted and she went to hug her mother. The Doctor followed, to shake Jackie's hand, but was instead pulled into a tight hug.

She pulled back and looked him straight in the eyes. "You, Doctor, aren't leaving my daughter again anytime soon. She's not going through that again. You will also keep her safe, and stay out of as much trouble as you can when she's around. Is that understood?" Jackie Tyler lectured.

"Yes. I promise that Rose is my highest priority," the Doctor replied sincerely. He wasn't going to promise to stay out of trouble because that wasn't always and option for him, but he would protect Rose at all costs. The problem was, would the rest of the universe, or now two universes, pay for this decision he had made.

"Good! Who wants tea?" the smiling mother asked, clapping her hands together once, changing the mood in the room instantly.

Inside, the Doctor moaned. He wanted to go off with Rose as soon as possible, but he was willing to stay a little longer. He put on a smile and followed the two women into the large living room. The room was similar to Rose's and it was clear that the mother and daughter had very similar styles. Rose and the Doctor sat on a red couch and Jackie walked past into the kitchen for tea.

Rose turned to her Doctor. "Thanks for this," she said thankfully.

"I don't mind you mother as much as I claim to. I think I can make it through some tea," he responded.

Rose had a hopeful expression on her face now. "I don't know if I can. I want to go back into the TARDIS. I want to go somewhere."

"I can arrange that. Just give me a couple minutes."

Jackie entered again with three mugs on a green plater. She sat down across from them and placed the tea on the table in front of her. "So, where do you two plan on going first?" she asked. Jackie Tyler wasn't exactly the kind to question about the scientific aspects of things, and the Doctor doubted that it had even occurred to her that he shouldn't even be able to be in this universe. "I mean, I assume you two plan on leaving."

"Well to be honest we haven't discussed it yet," the Doctor answered while looking to his left at Rose. "I suppose it's up to her."

"I should think so," insisted Misses Tyler.

"Where are your husband and child?"

"Work and school. In the real world that's what people do to make a living, Doctor." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Jackie realized she was being rude after receiving a glare from her daughter. She quickly added, "of course they both love it."

"Well it's too bad we didn't get a chance to see them. I would have liked to meet young Tony."

"Mother, I think I forgot something I brought for you in the TARDIS. Would you excuse us for a moment? I'll never find it without the Doctor's help," stated Rose.

"Of course! I'll wait if I get a present out of it."

The Doctor gave Rose an odd look but followed her out anyway.

"You were not getting us out of there fast enough," exclaimed the blonde girl.

"I told you I'd handle it. Now she expects us to go back in, and with a present!"

"Well then I guess you'll have to have me back before dark." Rose winked and strutted her way into the TARDIS.

The doctor sighed and followed, with a half smile on his face.

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_In the next chapter, expect more on how exactly the Doctor degenerated. Also, I plan to develop more of a story line as opposed to what I've written so far. Please review and tell me what you'd like to see happen in this story! I love ideas! _


	3. Chapter 3 - Ten Again

_Please, please, please review! I'd love to hear what people think of my story so far and were the want it to go. I don't have a set plan so I will probably incorporate most of the ideas I get. Also, for this chapter, remember there was never a duplicate of the 10th Doctor in this story. _

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**Chapter 3 - Ten Again**

"Doctor, what's this?" Rose was leaning against the control console on the platform, looking down on him as he entered.

He looked up with, a hint of worry, to see what she was referring to. He didn't think there was anything in plain sight for him to hide, but he couldn't be sure. He relaxed as soon as he saw the container in her hands. "That's my hand, Rose. You know that. Remember, Christmas invasion, the Sycorax?" He emphasized the word Sycorax, obviously enjoying saying it. "More recently for you, I suppose, was when I put my regeneration energy into it to stop my regeneration," he said, tilting his head.

"Yes, but why is it out? It's creepy," Rose said, emphasizing the important word in her statement: creepy. There didn't seem to be a good reason for him to still have it lying around for anyone who entered, to see.

"Oh, well, that I can explain. Now's a good a time as any to explain this to you, I suppose. Remember how I channeled all my regeneration energy into that hand when I was about to regenerate after being shot by a Dalek? Well when I was about to regenerate into my 12th form, I decided I wanted to go back into my 10th incarnation. I realized that all I had to do was draw out my old reincarnation energy from my handy spare hand; that hand there. I became ten again. Like it?" He smiled. "I have to say, I've always been quite fond of this form."

"So... is this still technically your 12th form? You only have one regeneration left?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, simply. The mood went down in the room as they both thought about what that meant. The Doctor wasn't known for his incarnations lasting very long, especially in his more recent forms.

Trying to cheer Rose up a bit, he said, "I promise to be careful with this one. I would prefer not to move on from it, quite yet, either."

"Okay." She didn't have much else to say at that exact moment.

The Doctor practically skipped up the steps to the center platform, where Rose stood with his hand. He stopped no more than 20 centimeters in front of her. He lifted the large Jar from her arms and bent down to place it at their feet. "I promise I'll clean my room later, Mother." He made one of his adorable half smiles and bent down, just a little, kissing her forehead. This made Rose smile, and he then moved sideways, smoothly making his way to the other side of the console in just a few quick strides. He stopped and just looked at her, allowing her to canvass the TARDIS's main control room. The Doctor allowed himself a thought; she was even more beautiful than he had remembered.

Rose looked around and took in everything she saw. There were 4 staircases leading off the platform that they were on. Two went down to the floor. From there, one could go to the door or under the platform, which Rose remember the Doctor did quite often. He usually was in the area under their feet when scrummaging through storage, that he claimed was organized though it really didn't seem to be, or fixing some problem with the TARDIS itself. The other 2 staircases led to entrances to, what seemed to be, hallways. Knowing the TARDIS, those could lead anywhere, depending on her mood, whether or not she liked you, and a variety of other factors. The majority of the control room seemed to be a worn down silver color, but the console was a gorgeous shade of ocean green. Various Time Lord symbols were written around the room, on the walls.

After some time had passed, he spoke up. "Well then, Tyler, where and when would you like to go first?" he asked, cheerfully.

She looked at him skeptically. "Since when am I supposed to know where we should go? You're the one who knows the whole universe. I only know Earth, and I've had quite enough of that for a while."

"Well I take you you'd like to go somewhere that you've never been, then. I can easily pull that off. How about a space station?"

"That's the best you can come up with? I was hoping for a planet with... floating cities or something," she challenged.

"Oh, I think you'll be more than satisfied with the station I have in mind," he answered. He was purposely avoiding giving any details to her. He was looking forward to this surprise.

"Fine, I trust you. Take us away!" She backed away from the console to allow him to do his typical 360 around it.

He swiftly slid from button to button, and lever to lever, guiding them on their way. After not long, the sound that they had both grown to love started to fade in and out. The Doctor and his favorite companion braced themselves on the bar surrounding the platform, on opposite sides of the console. They both grinned at each other as the TARDIS began shaking like an earthquake. Rose started laughing.

"Ha!" the Doctor added, in response to the whole situation.

After a few seconds, they could both feel the ship begin to stabilize once again, and the deep, screeching sound eventually came to a stop. Once everything was still and silent, they both studied each other, analyzing the others next move. After no more than three seconds, they both darted for the double doors and shoved through them at the same time.

They stepped into an empty room. It was completely white, and Rose didn't notice any doors at first. It wasn't until she looked more closely, that she saw the faint outline of a rectangle in the wall in front of them. She assumed that it was some form of a door.

Rose turned to her right and smirked. "Well Doctor, you seem to have brought me to an empty room. Congratulations."

"Only the best for you, darling," he responded sarcastically. "Of course we haven't gone through that door yet," he said, indicating the rectangle in the wall with a wave of his hand.

She smiled. "Well, what might I expect if I were to go through that door?"

"Oh, if I told you that, actually going through it wouldn't be nearly as fun. However, I have no doubt that you would enjoy it either way."

"You're too clever."

"Thank you," he responded. "Now are you going to go through the door or not?"

Rose sighed, giving in. She began walking towards the faint rectangle, and the Doctor followed. He stayed close behind her, examining her ever step and watching her face for any new expression. They reached it, and Rose pushed gently and slowly, forward. She stepped through the door completely and gasped. The Doctor grinned.

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_Thanks for reading! Please review, review, review! _


	4. Chapter 4 - Deeper

_Hey guys! I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a long time and I'll spare you my many excuses but here is the next chapter and I'll try to update more often. I hope you enjoy!_

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**Chapter 4 - An Impossible room.**

Before the two companions stood the most beautiful place Rose had ever seen. She took barely three steps, engulfing herself in the vegetation before her, before turning to see the Doctor staying close behind. There were trees, vines, the sounds of birds and water, a blue sky... It seemed as if they were stepping into a whole new unexplored world and Rose was overflowing with joy. She was in the most beautiful place and there wasn't a person in the universe that she would have rather been there with. She had an unwavering feeling that she had found everything she had ever wanted, and there wasn't any one or anything that she would ever let take it away from her. Walls were nowhere to be seen around the two companions. The only indication they had that they weren't really outside was the door behind them and a small control panel to their right.

"It's beautiful!" Rose exclaimed.

"I'm glad you like it." The Doctor smiled and moved so that he was standing close next to her. "Would you-"

Rose cut him off as if she hadn't even realized that he had started talking. "This is impossible. How does this work?" she asked.

The man in the suit shrugged off her interruption quickly and replied, "bigger on the inside. It's not unheard of when you travel with me, remember?"

The blonde turned to look at him. "But there's a sky. I get 'bigger on the inside', but how is there a sky?" she challenged.

"Ah," he smiled, obviously proud that she would even bother to ask. Most people would have simply shrugged it off as technology that they didn't understand and moved on. Rose wasn't satisfied with that. "Well the sky isn't real. It's a sort of hologram intended mostly for looks. This entire rainforest in basically a habitat created by an intelligent race and maintained entirely by the computer. Bigger on the inside has no limits. It's brilliant!"

Rose still wasn't completely satisfied. "Which race started it?"

"Well that's the mystery. I don't know. I've never been successful in identifying the language used throughout the station."

"Oh, say that again!" Rose grinned. "I love it when you don't know things!"

The Doctor smirked. "Eh! I'd like to see you try and figure it out, Miss Tyler." He exaggerated his pronunciation of 'Miss Tyler' like he always did when he teased her.

"Well it's bigger on the inside. That's Time Lord technology right?"

"Yes, but everything created by Time Lord's should be locked away in the time lock," replied the Doctor.

"Right. Well I say we explore and just maybe we'll figure it out." Rose snatched up his hand and hastily pulled him deeper into the trees.

"As you wish." The Doctor let his companion lead.

They both grinned as the ran. Rose pushed her way through leaves and listened to the sounds of life surrounding her. The Doctor, on the other hand, was smiling for another reason. He wasn't taking any notice to the gorgeous environment they were in. All he was focused on was the gorgeous woman in front of him. Though he'd spent a long time trying to make it happen, some part of him had never thought he'd succeed in getting her back after loosing her to that parallel universe. He watched her face brighten as she saw each and every new, exciting thing in their surroundings, and he could help but feel like he was falling out of control. He started thinking about their future, the possibilities, and all the places he would take her just to see that excitement in her.

The Doctor shook his head. No, he couldn't let himself think like that. He couldn't become anymore attached than he already was. It would destroy him to lose her if he let himself fall any further. The hardest thing about being the last of the Time Lord's was losing people that he... He couldn't finish that sentence. The Time Lord noticed Rose stop, snapping him away from his thoughts. He looked up and noticed that they had stopped at the base of a huge waterfall.

After a few seconds he remarked, "brilliant, isn't it?"

Rose nodded and sat down. She took off her shoes and dangled her feet in the pool of water at the base of the waterfall. The Doctor sat down next to her and they didn't say anything for awhile. The just enjoyed that moment.

"EX-TERM-IN-ATE"

The Doctor jumped up, standing in front of Rose who had turned her head but was still sitting. Their eyes were wide with pure terror. There were few things left in the universe that could strike terror in his ancient mind, but the creatures standing before the Time Lord and Rose were, to him, the most cruel and terrifying creatures in the universe. No matter how many times he thought he'd killed them all, there were always more. The war was never over. It never would be. Now three stood before him, indicating many more.

"No...," was all the Doctor could manage for a few moments. He then snapped out of his state of pure dread and leaped into action. "It's me! You know who I am."

"WE DO NOT," the Dalek in front responded.

The Doctor realized that he must have regenerated since these Daleks had heard anything of him. "I'm the Doctor," he stated calmly.

"DOCTOR. DOCTOR! DOCTOR!" The Daleks backed up a small amount before stopping and moving closer than they had been before.

Rose stood up but kept her eyes fixed on the metal creatures before them. She grabbed the Doctor's hand and he held it but kept her behind him with his arm. The stood there in a defensive position waiting for what would happen next.

"FOLLOW. RESISTING WILL NOT HELP YOU."

The Doctor turned back, giving Rose an encouraging smile, but they both knew it was fake. They followed the three Daleks deeper into the forrest and further away from the TARDIS. They passed the waterfall and many trees and animals before arriving at a small lake. The Daleks stopped at the edge and turned back towards the two companions. Rose and the Doctor looked at them, expecting instructions, but none came. The Daleks turned back to the water and continued moving forward into the lake. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a slightly puzzled and nervous look, but followed.

The lake wasn't getting any deeper. There seemed to be a platform running about three inches below the surface of water. They couldn't tell if it was just a walkway or under the whole lake, but the fact remained that it was there. All five of them stopped once they reached the very center of the lake and then waited for about ten seconds. The Doctor and Rose weren't totally sure what they were waiting for, but the Doctor was almost sure that they were being taken to some sort of base where they would be taken to someone in charge. Suddenly the water ran to the sides of the small platform they stood on, leaving a two meter circle dry. Then the platform began to lower into a tube. They lowered further and further below the lake. After what seemed like an eternity, they entered into a large room with a much smaller chamber in the middle. As they lowered further down it became increasingly more apparent that they were destined for the smaller one.

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_I hope you liked my latest update. As always, please review and send me your thoughts. I would really appreciate to hear what you want to see in this story and I'll do my best to incorporate all ideas. Thanks! _


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